Sewing machine



v el eg l A. SCAVELLI GeoRef. 5cm/BLIJ Sra.

HOWARD INVENTOR l Y mywm v ATTORNEYS H. A. SCAVELLI ET AL SEWING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5l, 1937 Nov. 21, 1939.

UNITED STAT Patented Nov. 21, 1939 .A Dover, N. J. y Appiication 'August a1, 1937, serial No. 161,335

" 2 claims. (c1. 11,2-236) This invention relates to improvements in attachment's for sewing machines and more particularly to improved vauxiliary mechanisms forv ,permitting raising the presser foot thereof;

In the conventional type of sewing machine the goods are held between av so-called presser foot and la plurality of reciprocating dogs, the goods being moved by the dogs and so passed beneath the oscillating needle whereby they are "sewn. The presser foot is mounted upon a presser bar usually vertically slidable in the head of the sewing machine-and'held in position by means including a spring positioned against the top pf the presser bar and abutting against a threaded' head-whereby the tension can be adjusted. It is also usual to provide a lever actuated cam acting 'against a'portion of the presser bar whereby the presser foot can be substantially raised when it is'desired to disengage the material from the .dogs in order to move same about under the foot'.

Wheny sewing substantially thick materials such for example as quilted goods or heavily padded materials, it is necessary to adjustv the tension acting against the presser bar in order that the machine will work smoothly.r This tension adjustment on machines of conventional types, is usually effected by turning the threaded head, bearing 4against the spring tensioning means, thereby raising'the head and substam' tially relieving the tension acting againstthe presser bar.

presser foot itis necessary-to even further re- .lieve the tension in orderthat the foot may be raised. It will be apparent that manipulation of a threaded head to eiect these results is substantially a tedious process and time consuming.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means whereby the tension acting against the presser foot bar can be quickly and easily relieved or altered. l It is another object of the present invention to provide means for disengaging the material from the reciprocating dogs positioned in the base plate of the machine whereby the material can be sewn in any direction and without relation to the direction of movement of the reciprocating dogs. cording to the present invention that this type of movement permits the user to darn, mend', monogram or embroider materials in a -manner not'feasible or possible with devices as heretofore known.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide means whereby the tension exerted In the event however, that it isA desired to move the lgoods about beneath'the A It is a feature of the device ac- ,tofore necessary.

against the presser bar can be substantially entirely released whereby the barmcan be moved and it is a further feature of the device'acccrdingl to the present invention that this, tension' when relieved can be immediately restored by y one simplefmovement instead of `continued manipulation of ,a threaded head as'hasbe'en here- The invention 'will be'fu'lly and comprehenl sively understood from aconsideration of Ithe following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing-'which'V formsI part ofthe application. y Figure l is a perspective view showingua conventional'type of sewingmachine head with parts omitted for clearness andjillustratin'g'a preferred embodiment of the present invention.v

Figure 21j is a vertical `sectional view'taken through a portion of the sewingmachine head il`- lustrated in Figure 1, and

device according to the 'presentinvention' In the portions of ytheV conventional type ofv sewing machine'illustratedin Figure 1, I comj prises the sewing machine vproper mounted on the base 'I Iv and carryingv the head I2." 'Thereciprocatingdogs utilized inmoving the material' under'the sewing machineineedle are generally indicateduity I3, the' goods being held against saiddogsbythe presser foot I4 carried on the. presser bar" I5 which is vertically slidable in' they head I2. The upper end ofthe bar I5 abuts" against the: spring vtensioning means I6 which isl mounted within the cap I'I held in the threaded sheath I8 substantially as shown. The threaded sheath I8 is adapted to be received in and engage -with the'threads of a tapped opening lin the head I 2 in a manner. whereby a portion of the presser -bar I5 passes through the opening in the lower ends of said sheath and extendsup-l Wardly therein for a portion of the length thereof. The'upward portion v.of the sheath is provided with a knurled `head I9 formed integral therewithv whereby rotative movement can beimparted to the sheath and accordingly whereby it can be advanced in and out of the head.

The cap I'I comprises a substantially cylindrical portion 2I and a cap portion preferably having an opening therein indicated at 23 which serves to preventthe formation of a pressure orv vacuumin the air spaces `included within said cylinder and also serves as a means for introducing oil in the even that it' is desired to lubricate the presser bar mechanism.y It ispreferre'd that the cap 22 be provided withknurled edges y20 f FigureV 3 is an exploded perspective view ofthe 24 substantially as shown whereby rotative movement thereof will be facilitated. Near the `lower end of the cylindrical portion 2I protruding lugs 25 are provided which are adapted to engage with openings 26 in the member I8 whereby the conventional bayonet type engagement is provided. It will be noted that the member I'I can be removed from engagement with the member I8 by positioning the lugs 25 in the vertical slot portions of the openings 26 whereby the member I'I can be raised out of engagement with the member I8. In the event that it is desired to hold the member I'I in substantially fixed position within the member I8 the lugs 25 are positioned within the horizontal portion of the openings 26 and by exerting a clockwise rotative movement thereto the lugs are positioned in the portions 21 of the openings 26 wherein they are held in substantially locked position by the abutments 28 and by the pressure in the tensioning means I6 tending to impartupward movement to the member I'I.

In use the member I8 is positioned in threaded engagement within an opening in the sewing \machine head substantially as illustrated in Figure 1 and the member I'I is positioned within the member I8 in substantially locked relationship whereby the lugs 25 are disposed within the restricted area 21. Under these conditions the spring tensioning means I6 acting against the presser foot bar I can be adjusted by rotative movement of the knurled head I9 whereby the member I8 isadvanced upwardly or downwardly as desired in the head I2. When the tension acting against the presser foot bar has been adjusted to the desired value and it is desired to relieve the pressure, movement is imparted through the cap 22 whereby thelugs 25 are moved into the vertical slot 26 of the head I8 thereby causing the spring tensioning means I6 to move the member I'I upwardly within the sheath I8 and thereby substantially entirely relieving the pressure exerted by the tensioning means against the upper portion of the presser foot member I5. It will be noted that this method of .relieving the tension exerted upon the presser foot bar is accomplished by relatively small rotative movement imparted to the member I'I and that when it is desired to restore the pressure a correspondingly small movement of said member effects the purpose. It will also be noted that relieving the pressure in the tensioning means does not alter the adjustment so that when the pressure is restored it is of substantially the same degree as it was at the point when it was relieved inasmuch as no rotative movement of the adjusting head I9 is necessary during the operation of relieving or restoring the pressure.

It is to be understood that this improvement is capable of extended application vand is not conned to the exact showing of the drawing nor to the precise construction described, and therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therein as do not aiect the spirit of the inv`vention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a sewing machine including a springpressed presser rod, the improvement which includes a presser-foot adjustment comprising a hollow cylindrical sheath axially adjustably mountable in a sewing machine head in coaxial relation to the free end of the presser rod, said sheath having a slot formed therein, opening at the free end of said sheath; a hollow cap slidably received within and engaging with parts of said sheath for holding the tensioning spring against the presser rod; and means, operable by rotation of said cap relative to said sheath, for releasing said cap to permit free sliding motion thereof with respect to said sheath, whereby free untensioned motion of the presser rod is permitted, said means comprising a stud carried on said cap riding in said slot formed in said sheath.

2. In a sewing machine including a springpressed `presser rod, the improvement which includes a presser-foot adjustment comprising a hollow cylindrical sheath axially adjustably mountable in a sewing machine head in coaxial relation to the free end of the presser rod, said sheath having a slot cut from one end of said sheath substantially parallel to the axis of said sheath with an offset portion in the distal end thereof and opening through the free end of the sheath; a hollow cap slidably received within and engaging with parts of said sheath for holding the tensioning spring against` the presser rod; and means, operable by rotation of said cap re1- ative to said sheath, for releasing said cap to permit free sliding motion thereof with respect to said shea-th, whereby free untensioned motion of the presser rod is permitted, said means comprising a projecting formation on said cap received in said slot.

HOWARD A. SCAVELLI. GEO. SCAVELLI, SR. 

